Building materials package

ABSTRACT

A building materials package including various structural and trim components for constructing a building, in which structural elements for the building are utilized as the sides of the package and thus reinforce the package and protect easily damaged components in the package, and wherein substantially all of the package is thereby used in the construction of a building, resulting in less wastage and discarding of package materials.

[ Oct. 28, 1975 United States Patent [191 Adams et al.

BUILDING MATERIALS PACKAGE Inventors: Gale Lee Adams, Onedia; Willard Cotton, Galesburg, both of I11.

[73] Assignee: Butler Manufacturing Company,

694,036 9/1964 Canada................................. 52/732 Grandview, Mo.

Primary Examiner-William I. Price [22] Flled 1974 Assistant ExaminerBruce H. Bernstein [21] Appl. No.: 522,730

Attorney, Agent, or FirmShoemaker and Mattare, Ltd.

- c wm mMe m .mam wm w dw .mw dt Sh T m r .m m A 6 OS R m m flkmwe cnm B c A Pnl SW16 .mmfl r r e u tct a c mmw uy mm mbmw [Am.m 68 7 wwoozfls 3 /94 6 O 95 5% 3 7 M63 1 83 W m3fi w M1 22 n 8B3 B D6 6 50 0 625 B me ""2 mus m m m m mm m "M e Sm L 6 C 0 S .M mk U IF l] 2 l8 5 55 i [l lized as the sides of the package and thus reinforce the References Cited package and protect easily damaged components in ITED STATES PAT the package, and wherein substantially all of the package is thereby used in the construction of a building, resulting in less wastage and discarding of package materials.

4 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures 2 US. Patent Oct. 28, 1975 SheetlofZ 3,915,298

FIG. I.

U.S. Patent Oct.28, 1975 Sheet2of2 3,915,298

BUILDING MATERIALS PACKAGE BACKGROUND or THE INVENTION This invention relates to a building materials package, and more particularly, toa building materials package wherein components used in the construction of the buildingare used in making up=the package to reinforce the package and protect easily damaged items therein, thus substantiallyeliminating damageto the more fragile components of the package and also substantially eliminating wastage and discarding of package materials at the site of erection of the building.

In the prior art, building materialsare usually packaged in cardboard boxes and the like, and such packages typically include items such as trim parts,downspouts, gutters,aluminum base angles, fascia trim, door frames, thresholds, and the like, and when such packages are handled, as for example when they are secured on a truck and hold-down chains are tightened thereon, items in the. package are damaged. Moreover, such packages require the use of separate items to form the package itself for containing the building construction elements, and accordingly, these materialsmust be disposed of at the site of erection of the building.

With the present invention, structural elements of the building are used to make up the package, and these structural elements notonly protect the more easily damaged building construction components, but also eliminate the problem of discarding or disposing of the package or container itself at the site of erection of the building.

Additionally, a package in accordance with the invention may be easily handled with a forklift or sling or other apparatus, and chains and the like may be tightened across the package on a truck or other vehicle without danger of damaging the components of the package.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION It is an object of this invention to provide a building materials package wherein elements used in constructing the building are used to form the package for containing other building construction components, thus protecting easily damaged components of the package and also eliminating the necessity of disposing of the container or package itself at a building erection site.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of a building materials package in accordance with the invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a part of the package of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of a package in accordance with FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a view in section taken along line 4-4 in FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a completed package in accordance with the invention, and wherein a top cover orpanel for the package is eliminated.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION A building materials package P in accordance with the invention comprises a plurality of elongate, transversely extending, spaced apart bottom frame members 10, such as two-by-fours and the like, on which spacer panels 11, such as one-by-four boards or the like are secured as by means of nails or other suitable fasteners extended through the spacer panels and into the bottom frame members 10. Longitudinally extending Z- purlin members 12 used in the roof of a building are supported along opposite sides of the package on the opposite ends of the bottom frame members 10, respectively, at opposite sides of the package, and a waster panel 13, such as a corrugated roof panel or plywood orparticle board or the like, is supported on top of the spacers '1 1 between the vertically extending webs of the'z-purlins12; Y

As seen in FIG. 3, in packages wherein the length required is greater than the length of the purlins 12, a plurality of purlins may be nested together, as at 12 and 12a, to obtain the necessary length and the angularly extending lips on the free edges of the horizontal flanges of the Z-purlins enable the purlins to be snugly nested, as seen in FIG. 4, for example. In other words, a pair of purlins are nested together and simply telescoped to the necessary length.

A plurality of vertically extending struts, such as sections of two-by-four or the like 14, are disposed in vertical relationship with one of their ends supported on the outer end portions of the bottom frame members 10, and their upper ends disposed in engagement with the underside of the top' horizontally extending flange of the purlins 12 to provide vertical bracing to the package. When the length of the package requires overlapping of the purlins and bottom panels 13, nails are extended through the panels 13 into the cross panels or spacers 11, and nails or other suitable fasteners are extended through holes in the top flanges of the purlins'and into the struts 14.

The building materials components M, such as trim parts, downspouts, aluminum base angles, fascia trim, door frames, thresholds, gutters, elbows, shoes and the like, are packed inside the space above the waster panel 13 and between the purlins 12 at opposite sides of the package, and a plurality of elongate, spaced apart top frame members 15, such as two-by-fours or the like, are then secured on top of the package at locations corresponding with the vertical struts l4, and secured thereto by means of suitable fasteners, such as nails and the like.

Suitable means, such as steel straps 16 or the like, are then secured in tight clamping relationship around the perimeter frame defined by the bottom and top frame members 10 and 15 and the vertical struts 14, with the Z-purlins 12 rigidifying the package and protecting the sides thereof.

End panels 17, such as plywood or particle board or the like, are then secured to the ends of the package by suitable fastener means, such as nails and the like.

Further, the building materials components M are suitably grouped and prepackaged or nested together and secured in groups with like parts by means of suitable fasteners such as nylon straps 18 or the like secured therearound.

In some instances, it may not be necessary to telescopically engage the Z-purlins l2 and 12a, as, for example, when the package is relatively short, as seen in FIG. 2, for example, and in that event fewer top and bottom frame members and side struts may be required. For example, in FIG. 2 three are shown. Moreover, in some instances a top panel 19 may be provided, as seen in FIG. 1, and in other instances the top panel may be eliminated, as seen in FIG. 5, depending upon the particular requirements for the package. The

top panel may be desirable, for example, in conditions of inclement weather, wherein it is desired to keep rain, snow, mud and the like from contacting the components of the package until they are ready for use.

A building materials package in accordance with the invention uses building parts to form the pack itself and to give maximum protection to trim, gutter and accessory items. Further, the Z-purlins used at the side of the package gives the package stacking strength when it is loaded with other building materials or parts, and the rectangular configuration of the pack makes it easy to handle and load and thus helps to eliminate damage to the package contents.

Moreover, the package of the present invention is environmentally desirable, since there are very few materials used in the package which are not ultimately used on the building.

As this invention may be embodied in several forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof, the present embodiment is, therefore, illustrative and not restrictive, since the scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims rather than by the description preceding them, and all changes that fall within the metes and bounds of the claims or that form their functional as well as conjointly cooperative equivalents are, therefore, intended to be embraced by those claims.

We claim:

1. A building materials package including various structural and trim components for constructing a building, in which Z-purlins used in construction of the building are utilized as the sides of the package and thus reinforce the package and protect easily damaged components in the package, and wherein substantially all of the package is thereby used in the construction of a building, resulting in less wastage and discarding of package materials, said purlins including vertical webs and oppositely directed horizontal flanges at the top and bottom edges thereof, the bottom flanges directed toward one another, and perimeter frame means securing the components of the package together, comprising elongate, transversely extending, spaced apart bottom frame members extending at their opposite ends beneath the bottom horizontal flange of the Z-purlins, a plurality of vertically disposed struts supported at their lower ends on the outer ends of the bottom frame members and engaged at their upper ends with the underside of the top horizontally extending flanges of the Z-purlins, a plurality of elongate, transversely extending, spaced apart top frame members having their opposite ends extended across the upper surface of the top horizontal flange of the Z-purlins and in registry with the struts, and a plurality of straps extended around the package in engagement with the outer surface of the frame members securing the parts together.

2. A package as in claim 1, wherein other building components are grouped with like parts and secured together prior to placement in the package.

3. A package as in claim 2, wherein nylon straps are secured around the grouped building components, securing them together.

4. A package as in claim 3, wherein bottom panels are provided in the package extending between the purlins, said bottom panels comprising corrugated roof panels. 

1. A building materials package including various structural and trim components for constructing a building, in which Z-purlins used in construction of the building are utilized as the sides of the package and thus reinforce the package and protect easily damaged components in the package, and wherein substantially all of the package is thereby used in the construction of a building, resulting in less wastage and discarding of package materials, said purlins including vertical webs and oppositely directed horizontal flanges at the top and bottom edges thereof, the bottom flanges directed toward one another, and perimeter frame means securing the components of the package together, comprising elongate, transversely extending, spaced apart bottom frame members extending at their opposite ends beneath the bottom horizontal flange of the Z-purlins, a plurality of vertically disposed struts supported at their lower ends on the outer ends of the bottom frame members and engaged at their upper ends with the underside of the top horizontally extending flanges of the Zpurlins, a plurality of elongate, transversely extending, spaced apart top frame members having their opposite ends extended across the upper surface of the top horizontal flange of the Zpurlins and in registry with the struts, and a plurality of straps extended around the package in engagement with the outer surface of the frame members securing the parts together.
 2. A package as in claim 1, wherein other building components are grouped with like parts and secured together prior to placement in the package.
 3. A package as in claim 2, wherein nylon straps are secured around the grouped building components, securing them together.
 4. A package as in claim 3, wherein bottom panels are provided in the package extending between the purlins, said bottom panels comprising corrugated roof panels. 